• Activities Using Hot Dots
(Hot Dots can be purchased from Exceptional Teaching Aids )
#1 Skill Application: Braille letter recognition
Objective: To correctly choose a specific letter using a Hot Dots pen

Materials:

• Hot Dots Pen
• “Hot/cold” dots
• Index cards
• Clear labels (optional)

To Play:

• The student is given a card with three letters listed down the left hand side. (Either brailled directly on the card or on clear labels.) Next to each letter is either a “hot” or “cold” dot. (The letter that you want the child to recognize will have a hot dot. Don’t forget to write which letter has the hot dot on the top of the card!)
• Tell the child to find a specific letter.
• The child uses the pen to choose an answer.

#2 Skill Application: Braille contraction recognition
Objective:  To correctly choose a specific contraction using a Hot Dots pen

Materials:

• Hot Dots pen
• Two or more cards, each with dot locators. Cover one dot locator with a “hot” dot and the other one(s) with a “cold” dot. (The dot locators help the child locate the hot and cold dots.)
• Braille contraction cards
• Non-slip pad

To Play:

• Place two or more contraction cards on a not-slip pad. Under each card place either a hot or cold dot card. (The card that you want the child to recognize will have a hot dot.)
• Tell the child to find a specific contraction.
• The child uses the pen to choose an answer.
• The contraction cards and hot dots cards can be rearranged in a variety of combinations.

#3 Skill Application: Matching grouped braille letters
Objective: To find the matching group of braille letters using a Hot Dots pen.

Materials:

• Mat board with a pair of letters written on the left and 4 pairs of letters written to the right, one of which matches the pair on the left. (Use pairs of letters which are commonly written together, e.g. br, cr, sl, tr, etc.)
• Place a hot dot above the matching pair, and cold dots above the remaining 3 pair.
• Hot Dots pen
• Optional: On the flip side, use 3 letter combinations (spr, sle, gra, wri, etc.)

To Play:

• The child looks at the pair, or group, of letters on the left and looks for the match on the right.
• When a match is found, the child uses the hot dots pen to press on the hot dot above the letters.
• If the pen indicates a wrong choice, the child is encouraged to try again.

#4 Skill Application: Vocabulary recognition
Objective: To correctly choose the word that answers a clue.

Materials:

• Hot Dots pen
• Two or more cards, each with dot locators. Cover one dot locator with a “hot” dot and the other one(s) with a “cold” dot. (The dot locators help the child locate the hot and cold dots.)
• Vocabulary cards
• Non-slip pad

To Play:

• This game is played similar to “Guess My Word”. The teacher lays two or more word cards in front of the student and gives a clue about one of the words.
• Below each word is either a hot dot or cold dot card. (The teacher would put a hot dot below the word for which the clue is being given and a cold dot below the other(s).)
• The student uses the hot dots pen to choose the word that answers the clue.
• Once the child reads the cards, replace with new cards and rotate the hot and cold dots.